Advances in naturopathy research reported in new special issue of JACM

New Rochelle, NY, February 20, 2019–Naturopathy, or “naturopathic medicine” as the profession is branded in the United States, is a rapidly growing profession and scientifically advancing form of practice that can have a positive impact on a wide variety of chronic and complex conditions. A Special Focus Issue on Naturopathy is published in JACM, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers, dedicated to paradigm, practice, and policy advancing integrative health. Click here to read the 10 original articles, 2 reviews, and 4 commentaries in the special issue free on the JACM website through March 20, 2019.

The Special Issue on Naturopathy was engaged in partnership with the International Naturopathy Research Leadership Program of the Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine (ARCCIM), University of Technology Sydney. The issue was led by guest editors Amie Steel, ND, PhD and Jon Wardle, ND, PhD, each from ARCCIM, University of Technology Sydney, and Ryan Bradley, ND, MPH, University of California San Diego and the National University of Natural Medicine (Portland, Oregon).

A central scientific interest of the naturopathic profession regards examining the multimodal methods that characterize whole person-oriented naturopathic clinical care. The issue includes a systematic review of 33 such published studies entitled “The State of the Evidence for Whole-System, Multi-Modality Naturopathic Medicine: A Systematic Scoping Review.” The article was coauthored by Stephen Myers, PhD, BMed, ND, Southern Cross University (Lismore, Australia) and Foundations of Naturopathic Medicine Institute (Snoqualmie, Washington), and Vanessa Vigar, BNat (Hons), Southern Cross University and Integria Healthcare (Ballina, Australia).

Kimberly Tippens, ND, MPH led a team of researchers from National University of Natural Medicine, Helfgott Research Institute, and Food As Medicine Institute (Portland, OR), in the publication of the original research article entitled “Impact of a Short-Term Naturopathic Whole-Foods-Based Nutrition Education Intervention on Dietary Behavior and Diabetes Risk Markers: A Pilot Study.” In this small study, the researchers assessed the effects of a 12-week naturopathic whole foods nutrition education course on adults with or at risk for prediabetes. They reported changes in food consumption patterns and blood biomarkers associated with diabetes on completion of the course and after 6 and 12 weeks.

Amie Steel, PhD and colleagues from Endeavour College of Natural Health (Fortitude Valley, Australia) and University of Technology Sydney (Australia) contributed the article “The Role and Influence of Traditional and Scientific Knowledge in Naturopathic Education: A Qualitative Study.” The researchers explored how those involved in the current study and teaching of naturopathy perceive and feel about traditional and scientific knowledge.

One sign of the profession’s maturation is recent work with the WHO for global recognition. The issue includes an invited commentary entitled “World Naturopathic Federation: The Central Role of Research in the Growth of the Global Naturopathic Profession” coauthored by Iva Lloyd, BScH, ND, World Naturopathic Federation (WNF) (Toronto, Canada) and Jon Wardle, ND, MPH, LLM, PhD, WNF and University of Technology Sydney (Australia). In this comprehensive overview of the growth and evolution of the WNF, the authors focus on how rigorous research has been integral to achieving the WNF’s goals, research projects, and the development of a Health Technology Assessment program for the profession.

“The naturopaths’ multimodal, whole person model respects many healthcare traditions and makes their journey to develop their research base – as evidenced in the diverse exemplars and commentaries in this Special Issue – of particular value in this era of integrative medicine,” says JACM Editor-in-Chief John Weeks, johnweeks-integrator.com, Seattle, WA.

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About the Journal

JACM, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine is a monthly peer-reviewed journal published online with open access options and in print that is dedicated to research on paradigm, practice, and policy advancing integrative health. Led by John Weeks (johnweeks-integrator.com), the co-founder and past Executive Director of the Academic Collaborative for Integrative Health, JACM publishes human clinical trials, observational studies, systematic reviews and commentary intended to help healthcare professionals, delivery organization leaders, policy-makers and scientists evaluate and integrate therapies into patient care protocols, payment strategies and appropriate protocols. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the JACM website.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Alternative and Complementary Therapies, Medical Acupuncture, and Journal of Medicinal Food. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.